Tag Archives: #TakeOutTheater

By Mike Reyes

Steven Spielberg’s under appreciated comedy is a heartfelt favorite with a deep, personal connection.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Steven Spielberg. Ever since I was a kid, I loved seeing what movie he would come out with next, and several of his movies rank on my personal list of the best films in cinematic history. Some of them are from his huge collection of blockbuster hits that everyone loves, like Jurassic Park, Raiders of The Lost Ark, and Catch Me If You Can. Others though are from his “deep cuts” catalog: the films that people really need to explain why they love them, because most people don’t share the same enthusiasm. Among those favorites are A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, War Horse, and today’s #TakeOutTheater pick: The Terminal.

by Mike Reyes

This week: A bittersweet love story that spans time and space, asking the question “Is Love Eternal?”

A couple years back I’d gone through a rather rough break-up. It was the third and final time this person and myself had broken up, and I was particularly upset about it all coming to an end the way it did. I had the house to myself one night, and I decided to flip through my Netflix Instant queue, landing on The Fountain as my evening’s viewing choice. I’d heard mixed reviews of the film, but I sought a further education on Darren Aronofsky’s filmography after falling in love with Black Swan during that year’s Best Picture Showcase. What I discovered was a touching and heartbreaking work of art that resonates with me even now.

by Mike Reyes

This week on “Take Out Theater:” An underrated look behind the makings of a suspense classic

Here we are, another successful return to Take Out Theater (#TakeOutTheater): the column where the best seat in the house is the one that’s on the couch. While we don’t advocate waiting for movies to come home before seeing them – movies were meant to be seen in a theater – we realize that some movies can’t or won’t be seen in a theater anymore… A new year has dawned, and as such we are in the thick of awards season! What better time to focus on a film that looked like a shoo-in for the 2012-2013 awards season, but turned out to be a sadly overlooked film that got lost in the crush of French hookers, metaphorical tigers, and Southern squalor. Fortunately, the home viewing market can be used as a tool to resurrect and catch the films we miss the first time around, and this week’s is no exception. This week, for Take Out Theater, we give you…

by Mike Reyes

A disturbing true story leads to one of the most disturbing films of the last few years on this week’s Take Out Theater

We’re going to open this week’s #TakeOutTheater with a warning: this movie isn’t for everyone. In fact, the content in this film has been known to seriously disturb and put off audience members watching this film. It’s a brutal, devastating look at the abuse of trust, the illusion of power, and what happens when we let ourselves get carried away in the name of “cooperating with the authorities.” It is not for everyone, but if you can handle it, it’s a really well made film that covers very disturbing subject matter. That subject matter being trust in our institutions of authority. It’s something that we’re raised with, something that is as inalienable as the rights that those institutions uphold. But what if a random stranger with malicious intent were to hijack one of those said institutions, or at least their guise? What’s more, what if that stranger had the trust of those who were our direct superiors, and could control them in any way shape or form?

by Tim Barley

This week’s Take Out Theater selection introduces us to the overlooked demon (angel?), Pinhead

After 25 years, Hellraiser can still surprise the viewer with its eerie feel, even if the special effects are very dated and the acting a little hammy. Clive Barker is one of the most overlooked horror writers of the last 30 years, giving us many books of short stories and films like Midnight Meat Train, Nightbreed, and Candyman. However, it’s Hellraiser, with its look at pain and pleasure and escaping from the hell, that makes it a seminal piece in keeping with this week’s #MonstersManiacsAndMadmen. So, for this week’s #TakeOutTheater, we give you Hellraiser.